I choose this because I think that although Cook has made a good showing with the bat in his early career, he hasn't got enough guts to cope with it when the chips are down. For example, he looked completely clueless, when (in my opinion) a very average Leg Spinner Kaneria, was giving it some rip. I bet Shane Warne was really licking his lips at the chance of bowling to a rookie Leftie, bowling it into the rough.

Don't agree with this at all. There may be signs that Cook's technique against spin could be a bit suspect, but I don't see how anyone could question his temperament/"guts".

Don't agree with this at all. There may be signs that Cook's technique against spin could be a bit suspect, but I don't see how anyone could question his temperament/"guts".

he reminds me of jaques rudolph..ie dead boring but hard to get out once set. He should go grab a copy of day 5 aus vs sa at the waca recently where rudolph batted out the day against warne where there was some hefty rough and turn. Mind you he made no attempt at making runs in that innings....but if his only weakness is spin, and since we only have one spinner, maybe he should just look to score every second over and leave the scoring to KP if warne hasn't already snaffled him in the slips.

I think Cook will go well against mcgrath for some reason...because of his boring nature. He will leave outside off until the cows come home. Like anyone pidg eventually gets frustrated and puts it on the stumps...and from what i've seen he's pretty good against a straight ball. But against a 95mph brett lee yorker he will be found wanting on the evidence from the last couple of **** tests. edit: since when has P.aki been a swear word?

I wouldn't play Ian Bell. I can't imagine his game having improved so drastically from the 2005 Ashes series - And though he's obviously a good talent, his big weakness - edging the ball - will be more ruthlessly exploited by McGrath or even Clark. But he's only out of the team because I think that Pietersen comes in too high up the order - He should be in at 5 with Flintoff coming in behind him, as GIMH said earlier there was no issue last Summer of there not being a buffer between KP and Fred. And Bell at No. 4 just doesn't work, he is a great number 6 batsman, but not so good at four I don't think.

I know it might not be the best proof, but whenever bell has opened in ODI's he has always seemed, to do well, and ever since the ashes '05 he has looked good against the swinging and seaming ball, he also looks to have a better defensive technique to Cook too.

The only time Bell has opened in Test cricket(on the India tour) he struggled miserably and was pushed down the order by the end of the tour. Like ive said before hes a strokemaker, and stroke makers are always going to struggle at the very top of the order in test match cricket.

Tendulkar = the most overated player EVER!!
Beckham = the most overated footballer EVER!!
Vassell = the biggest disgrace since rikki clarke!!

I wouldn't play Ian Bell. I can't imagine his game having improved so drastically from the 2005 Ashes series - And though he's obviously a good talent, his big weakness - edging the ball - will be more ruthlessly exploited by McGrath or even Clark. But he's only out of the team because I think that Pietersen comes in too high up the order - He should be in at 5 with Flintoff coming in behind him, as GIMH said earlier there was no issue last Summer of there not being a buffer between KP and Fred. And Bell at No. 4 just doesn't work, he is a great number 6 batsman, but not so good at four I don't think.

My two cents anyway.

I think its the first time ive heard anyone state that someone's weakness was edging the ball. Anyways, i think even in the Ashes 2005 the signs were there that he could be a pretty good player, but just wasnt temperamentally upto it( His dismissal at TB providing a perfect example), but i think hes improved on that aspect of the game since.

The only time Bell has opened in Test cricket(on the India tour) he struggled miserably and was pushed down the order by the end of the tour. Like ive said before hes a strokemaker, and stroke makers are always going to struggle at the very top of the order in test match cricket.

"The PFA does not represent players when they have broken the law and been convicted on non-football matters."- Gordon Taylor in 2009 following Marlon King's release after a prison sentence for sexual assault & ABH

hmm for some reason i thought he opened during the first game of the series, but it turns out to be the last. Anyways i dont like the prospects of him batting at 3, i think hes a better player at 4,5 or 6, but it looks like thats whats going to happen at Brisbane.

You shouldn't have said that, now 'tooextracool' is going to retort with the most boring paragraph know to man. Explaining how in fact Sehwag is not a stroke maker by opening his initial response with the lines obviously you have never seen Sehwag bat because...

I think very few people would classify Gayle as a successful test match opener. In fact i think he'd be much better off down the order in tests anyways. Trescothick is one of the better leavers in the game, its one of the reasons why despite his poor footwork hes managed to score runs in test match cricket. Hayden could barely score a run on a seamer friendly track until he sorted his technique out and stopped playing as many shots as he was.
Sehwag is probably the only real exception to the rule and as such i still think hed be a better player down the order than at the top but we probably would never know about that.
Anyways i think in general strokemakers struggle at the top of the order, and we've seen countless examples of that in terms such as Fleming and Ramprakash and several others who have been given the shot of opening and struggled because they simply played too many shots.